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Nine News Now hissy fit. And first-rate network spinning.

Is there anybody buying the explanation given for Amber Sherlock's hissy fit?

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Just wow.

The publicity spin from Nine after the staggering leaked footage involving Nine News Now presenters Amber Sherlock and Julie Snook is almost as bad.

Amber Sherlock admits she “probably over-reacted,” while Snook declared, “Amber and I just really love white!”

Quotes from both presenters followed the staggering video leak yesterday in which Amber Sherlock berated Julie Snook over her wardrobe, minutes before going to air.

The clip, leaked to Mumbrella website, is a branding disaster for Nine News. In only the second week of the year we already have a contender for one of 2017’s lowlights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NCEeZtRCRI&t=10s

Sherlock told Snook she could not wear white on air, given both she and guest psychologist Sandy Rea, were also wearing white.

“I need Julie to put a jacket on. I asked her before we came on… I told you two hours ago,” Sherlock insisted.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been flat out,” Snook replied.

In a Melbourne studio, Rea looked like she was caught in between a colleague catfight.

“I made this clear two-and-a-half-hours ago…” Sherlock continued.

“Amber, if it’s an issue, I can get on out of here…” Snook suggested.

Sherlock was adamant: “It is an issue. Go and grab a jacket…. I wasn’t saying it for no reason. The wardrobe girls will be furious downstairs.”

Snook even pointed out her outfit was more blue than white.

“It doesn’t look like it. Get a producer. There’s one hanging up. Just get it…”

After more terse exchanges, Snook eventually reappeared with a black jacket.

And it was all smiles when the three came on air.

Nine will be in overdrive to get to the bottom of its leak. Meanwhile even it was forced to address the issue on 9Honey.

“Live TV can be a pretty stressful beast, at times,” Sherlock said in a statement. “And as anyone knows, it’s never much fun rocking up to work or to a party in the same outfit as one of your colleagues or friends. I probably overreacted with the pressure of presenting a live news bulletin.”

“What can I say? Amber and I just really love white!” Snook said. “Amber and I are good friends and I really enjoy working with her, News is a fast moving environment and sometimes these things happen.”

I suspect few will be buying that spin after the vitriol on display in the clip.

This is a moment that will have a long tail for Sherlock and Nine News Now. It has already triggered online memes, hashtags and parodies.

Hope it was worth it.

https://twitter.com/adamzwar/status/819458521884282880

https://twitter.com/leishae/status/819502350058463232

64 Responses

    1. “I told her two and a half hours ago”. That’s the clincher. Even adding the half hour really says something . Not two. But two And A Half. So funny!!!! So rude!!!!

  2. As at 1:45pm it’s had 107,000 views and 179 comments on YouTube and some 100,000 views of the full version. Numerous different uploads of it on going. Certainly more viewers than Nine News could dream of having. Has what’s her name in the middle never heard of the word “please”?
    Does she really think Donald Trump should be impeached for some alleged act before he was elected? Seriously? Not one mention of what Clinton did with an intern (or more) in the Oval Office while he was President? Research? Monica? Ring a bell Sherlock?

  4. David, am I showing my age here, but does this have just an edge of the ‘Showgirls / Valley of the Dolls’ jealousy here, trying to rip down someone who is coming up behind you, and not afraid about being ruthless about it? Just saying …

  6. Poor Julie, she has the patience of a saint, I wasn’t there and i felt like i wanted to throw something.

    How dare anyone speak to another person like that. Amber made Brooke Vandenberg look like Mother Teresa …. good grief, there is obviously some professional jealousy, but definitely not a good look for Amber

    1. I don’t understand all this. Shouldn’t the three ladies on screen be under the control of a producer/director who organises their appearance, not one of them throwing their weight around against the others? Who was in charge here?
      Talk about the inmates running the asylum!

      1. Generally there’s a wardrobe department but talent, particularly female talent, are usually free to wear whatever. In my 21 years of live TV I’ve never witnessed someone speak to a co-presenter like this in an on-air enviroment, particularly with a guest present. It’s unbelievably arrogant behaviour. I can only imagine this is pretty standard behaviour for Amber and someone has just had a gutfull.

  7. David, Studio10 have been absolutely roasting this gaffe today.
    There’s a clip on their Facebook page of Sarah having to be rescued for wearing white, and Jono has been “told” to throw to Karl Stefanovic at least once

      1. Why do you think its a disaster for 9? Don’t these things generally blow over?

        I think they’ve taken their eye off the ball with news content. It just seems in their haste to report the news the inaccuracies of the content are becoming more noticeable. It would be more prudent to improve their fact checking as to avoid a possible disaster in the future where they get something in their content really wrong.

        1. People remember this kind of stuff. Sex and the City sketch anyone? Naomi Robson clips? Sure the show marches on, but when it’s a News brand, particularly one that pitches itself to women, this kind of bullying and hissy fit undermines your credibility. Those smiles at the end say it all.

        2. “These things” get into shows like “20-1” and every other YouTube clip show, for decades. A uni. Journalism lecturer (won’t name the uni.) speaking on local radio this morning said he’s “already added it to his ‘behaviour’ lecture material for his new students and has circulated it to his past students with a “how not to behave” note.

  8. the clip is doing the rounds on social media too. It’s doing my head in! lol.

    I wonder if people would actually tune into Nine News now after this free publicity? Or will people continue to ignore the show like what they’ve been doing for years?

  9. Man in dark jacket and white shirt: G’day mate. How’s the family?
    Other man in dark jacket and white shirt: Yeah, good. Yours?
    Man in dark jacket and white shirt: Good, too. Alright, let’s do this.
    Other man in dark jacket and white shirt: Yup.

    Guest psychologist Sandy Rea has prob got enough material from that to write a paper.

  10. Even if that hadn’t got leaked Sherlock is speaking to her coworker rudely in front of crew and producers. It’s like a boss berating a staff member in front of the rest of the team. Uncomfortable for everyone …one can only wonder what the motivation for leaking the footage

  12. This is astonishing. Lots of questions need answering. Is it in Ambers job description to decide who wears what. Kochie glossed over it this morning which I thought was ordinary. Amber belittled and bullied Julie. She spoke about her in the third person. It looked silly having Julie in black and the two on the right in white. The black should of been on Amber in the middle. Amber needs to publicly apologize to Julie to make everything allwhite again.

  13. I’m cynical enough to have the thought cross my mind that maybe this was a publicity stunt by 9 trying to draw attention to the network and one of their multiple news program.

    Its not that big a deal. It just sounded like someone expressed a view on wardrobe, felt like they were being ignored and got a bit defensive. I couldn’t care less what presenters wear on television but even I could see that three woman wearing white in a shot looked a bit odd.

  16. What a disgusting, pathetic display of bullying. It’s all my family and colleagues are talking about. We’ve all seen it. We’ve all sent it around. We all agree we’re switching off nine as it condones bullying. There has been no retraction and no apology. I wouldn’t expect this behaviour from my 6 year old.

  18. My favourite bit of this is the lady on the right, who initially laughs, presumably thinking Ms Sherlock is joking and the increasingly horrified look on her face as she realizes she’s serious.

  20. Please don’t criticise Amber too much, she’s female and its in their genes ( to not want to be wearing what another woman in the room is wearing) . Now, if three male presenters chucked a wobbly because they all had grey suits on, well that would be news.

  21. Maybe Amber has been watching to many Amber Tile commercials….. “Amber have the answer”. Channel Nine should make them wear Corporate clothing, maybe white jackets LOL

  24. Perhaps all it needed was a ‘please’ after all those instructions were barked by Amber. There’s economy of language and there’s just grandstanding and rudeness. It is only surprising because of the ‘Broadcast News’ esque before and after – the smiles are just so hollow. One thing’s for sure -Amber will never speak that way to anybody with live microphones around her.

  25. Well at least we know she’s colour blind now.. snook clearly has a light blue top on…. or she is a rising talent and Sherlock feels threatened… plus doesn’t the presenters have a wardrobe department.. Sherlock could have changed….

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